Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Once upon a time, there was a woman who yearned to be a mother. God soon granted the woman her heart’s desire and a baby girl was born. The woman was so happy. She thanked the Lord as she snuggled baby Emma, who from that day on, would be her princess.

Emma thrived in the woman’s care and she grew to be a precious toddler, a precocious preschooler, her daddy’s girl, and her momma’s princess. The woman looked forward to all that her princess would achieve and become.

As the woman watched Emma grow, she taught her all sorts of wonderful things and she dreaded the day her princess would go to school. The woman realized she had been teaching her princess since birth. Why stop now, she thought.

The woman searched until she found the perfect way to teach her daughter as she grew. She found 'Five In A Row' and joined the creator’s online support group. From that point on, the woman had friends who agreed with and supported her decision to keep Emma at home with her. Even though most of the mothers never met in person, they developed a strong bond with the mother, and she with them.

Then one day, as Emma grew, the woman realized she was not well. The doctors confirmed that she was ill and that she must be strong and fight. So, the woman was strong. The woman did fight. She beat that sickness-for herself, her husband, and her princess.

And life went on…..

As the months passed, the woman knew that she had room in her heart for another beautiful girl. She found a girl who needed a momma and she took her home. The man, the woman, and the princess called the girl Eden, and made her a part of their family. (Eden has a special story, too, but this is Emma’s story.)

The years went by and the family grew stronger and stronger. The girls became sisters and the woman stayed well. As she approached the fifth anniversary of her sickness, she looked forward to finding more babies to love. She looked to the future with big hopes and dreams. Then, just like that, the woman realized she was not well.

The doctors confirmed that her sickness was back. They told her once again that she must be strong and fight the sickness. So, she stood up tall and she was strong, much stronger than many other women. But, this time, she could not fight the sickness.

The woman prayed and tried to understand God’s plan. She did not want to leave the man, her princess, and Eden. But, she trusted God and knew he would take care of her family.

One late spring day she took God’s hand and went with Him to Heaven. It was a day to rejoice and a day to grieve. The world did not stop, so the woman’s family lived on without her, but forever in their hearts.

To be absent on earth is to be present with the Lord...

~THE END~

But, there is more to this story….

Upon hearing the news, the woman’s 'Five In A Row' friends cried, grieved, and wondered why this had to happen. They knew that the woman had done all the right things, like keeping regular check ups and taking her medication. It did not make sense. They were sad.

It did not matter that most of the mothers had never met in person. They had shared so much. They cared so much. They wanted to give the man and his daughters a gift from their hearts.

Each friend made a quilt block from her own hands, (or donated money, helped with sewing, or organized the project) with plans to put them together into quilts for the man and each girl. They would each have a quilt of sweet memories.

Since Emma had special times and memories using 'Five In A Row' with her momma, the friends made her a 'Five in a Row' quilt. Each block represents a book from the series.

~THE END~

Dear Emma~

I am thankful for the time and way I knew your momma, as limited as it was. I did not know her well at all, but I know that she loved you with all of her heart. I know that she taught you many things and that you had fun learning with 'Five In A Row'.

I wonder which 'Five In A Row' book was her favorite. Which book did you like the best? My favorite is “Very Last First Time” by Jan Andrews. I made my quilt block to look like the front cover. When I read this book to my little boy, or whenever I remember our times studying this book, I will think of you and offer up a special prayer.

I prayed for you while I stitched my quilt block. I prayed that this quilt would bring you comfort, joy, memories, and love. I prayed that God would protect you as you grow and learn. I prayed that God would guide your daddy as he raises you under God’s own principles. I prayed that God would give your family strength and peace and love…..always love.

With Love~ Lisa Schaffer (‘Lisalyn’ on the FIAR boards)

This is the cover of 'Very Last First Time':

This is the quilt block I made for Emma's quilt:

*Fran was only 31 when she learned she had breast cancer in 2005. She shared her treatment experiences and personal feelings regarding cancer on her blog, Welcome to the World of Breast Cancer. Fran lost her fight against breast cancer on June 15, 2010. She was just months from her 5-year remission anniversary when her cancer returned. Emma will always be her princess.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Smooth and silky and beautifully coiffed? I owe it to Misikko! You do know about Misikko, right??

As I was saying....smooth and silky. How often do you hear a true curly girl say those words? Not very often.

I have curly hair. It's thick and coarse and dry. I need a lot of moisture or I have a big, fuzzy, poufy mess. Like now. Ugh. (As bad as you want to see it, no. No way am I posting photos of my dried out fuzzy do.) Chlorine + sun=dry, fuzzy, poufy mess.

Unless......I straighten it. I like it straight but it is so.much.work. One reason is the above mentioned condition of my hair. However, the main reason is my overwhelming need to be cheap when it comes to hair products and appliances. I mean, what can I expect from $2.00 shampoo, $3.00 styling products, and a $20.00 flat iron???

Well, help arrived! Enter..... Misikko.com.

For the past five years, Misikko has been selling professional styling products via the Web. If you are looking for professional flat irons, Misikko is the place to shop! Misikko offers high quality products at great prices. They carry a wide range of products--just look at the variety of professional hair dryers and hair care products they carry. Personally, I love the Hana Shine Shield. I like Misikko's prices, too!

When Misikko offered to send me a Corioliss flat iron to review, I was beyond excited. A professional flat iron? For me? Yes, please!

Just a few days later, I was holding a box from Misikko in my hot, little hands. Inside that box, a Corioliss Classic Pro was waiting just for me. And when I opened the box.....well......I felt like a princess!

The sweet scent of roses spilled from the box. It was beautiful! I was SO not expecting this!

Many tiny silk roses lined the box, along with a small satin bag filled with beauty product samples. A stemmed rose, ribbon, and bow graced the Misikko heat proof pad. Talk about fancy!

All so pretty!

I'm tellin' ya. I sat and admired it for way too long. I can't remember for certain, but I think the smell of roses was long gone before I was able to move past just opening the box! (I think I should do a little more for myself to prevent this type of shock.)

So, a few days later, I finally came back to my senses (Ha!) and actually used my new Corioliss Classic PRO flat iron. heh heh.... Pro.... Yep.. Still in shock....

And....

Oh, my! What a difference a good flat iron makes! Quick to heat-adjustable heat, too. No pulling, no snagging, no static fly-aways.... Like I said, what a difference!

Here, again, I should have taken a couple of photos. Maybe next time...

You are more than welcome to ogle the photos of my Corioliss Classic, instead....

Since my girl is going to cosmetology school, I thought I'd let a 'future professional' check it out. She was impressed. I made sure to show her the Misikko website, too. And she immediately set her eyes on this Corioliss gift set. (She always has loved animal prints....)

I am unbelievably proud to own this flat iron. And I am equally proud to call Misikko a friend of my 'Box of Rocks'.

So proud and excited, in fact, that I can hardly contain myself over the fact that Misikko is offering anotherCorioliss Classic to one of my readers!

Prize to be provided and shipped directly to the winner by Misikko (address to be provided by said winner at time of confirmation).Trust me. You WANT this flat iron. You want to be a Misikko girl! You have as many as 8 entries in this giveaway.

Yes….I have been a slacker. I hate that I’ve slacked because I now have a TON of reviews and giveaways to blog about and I’m down to about three readers!

All.MY.fault.

You 3 will have to help me spread the word once I’ve posted a giveaway. I have product reviews and giveaways coming that cover the mind, the body, and the spirit. There will be health, beauty, and even something pretty to wear. I am excited to share about the products I have discovered! I have an especially nice giveaway that will start on my birthday in just ONE week. Hint…..it’s almost like money in your pocket!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for a product review AND giveaway that will have you looking good. *wink* *wink*

After that, I’ll be putting up a special blog post. It’s a story I wrote for a special little girl. After I wrote it, I thought I’d share it with my blog friends. Warning--it’s pretty sad. It doesn’t exactly have a happy ending. Well….it does, but it doesn’t. You’ll see….. It’s a story that must be told.

Now.

Let’s talk about what I’ve been up to. LOTS of stuff!

Let’s see…… I need to go all the way back to the last week of May…..

I was excited for the school year to end and for all of my babies to be home with me 24/7 again. Did you hear what I just said???? I’ll just say it again. I love having everyone at home. But, boy. I was not prepared for the full force of it this year. I’m not sure why. I mean, I’ve home schooled my kids since 1998. Just two years ago, we sent the younger boys to school. It sure doesn’t take long to lose your step!

I’m sad to say that it took nearly 3 weeks (precious weeks!) to smooth the transition. And look….. Now it’s almost over! The first day of school is just two weeks away! (My birthday) Freedom over. I am sad. Anyway, back to the story. Funny, school kids reduce their summer break into one neat little paragraph and I’m writing a book about one day!

Okay….ANYway…..

That same week (Remember? The last week of May?) I took my two oldest kids to Beale Street in Memphis. The folks at Mutual of Omaha invited me to come down and videotape my 'AHA' moment. These folks travel the country taping these special moments, then later choose some for their television commercials. “My name is Lisa and this is my AHA moment.” Ring a bell?

Well, if you’ve been here to my blog, EVER, you know that I do NOT do photos. I am not photogenic and I hate seeing myself on film or even hearing my voice in a voice mail. As a matter of fact, I had just blogged about this very subject and had stepped out and posted some photo outtakes of myself. (Just linked it so you can see it again. I'm so brave!)

My first reaction to the AHA crew was, “Ummmm……no.” But could this be meant for me? For my personal growth? I’m not sure, but it seemed like it. So, we went to Beale Street.

We walked around a lot.

We went to the Gibson Guitar factory and the Rock & Soul Museum.

My boy played guitars with price tags and history that would blow you away!

We goofed around at the Fedex Forum Arena.

We ate at the Hard Rock Café. My music lovin’, guitar-playin’ boy was in heaven!

We heard street bands playing the Blues.

We saw street acrobats flipping and passing their buckets.

And we even saw a blue dude. (??)

And yes. I taped my AHA moment!

I talked about feeling as if I haven’t done the things, fulfilled the dreams of my youth as I planned. Like, becoming an artist or writing a book. However, I have realized (AHA!) that, because those dreams do live in me, are a part of who I am; I have passed those loves to my children. I have taught them (unknowingly) to live their dreams just by being myself and putting a little of ‘me’ into everything I do. I have taught them that they can be artists, musicians, writers, creative individuals. My dreams live on in my children…..

I did it!!

I actually walked into the Mutual of Omaha’s traveling studio and taped my AHA moment. It wasn’t so bad. They actually made it pretty easy. Oh, I was nervous, but I did it!

Sharing the link to the actual video? Uhhhh….that’s a different story. I haven’t even shared it with my family! I can’t. *sigh* Maybe someday……

In a couple of days I’ll tell you about my family’s trip to Vegas, my oldest son’s Rush adventure, the swimming (oh, the swimming!), and how I became an eBay Power Seller for a week when my husband was out of town and how I never, EVER want to do that again!

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